The new British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, the British Royal Navy's newest and most powerful warship, and the Type 23 ASW frigate HMS Richmond both transited the Suez Canal on Tuesday as part of the UK-led Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) operational deployment.

“A hazy day as we pass through the Suez Canal Flag of Egypt, next the Red Sea and then onto the Indian Ocean,” HMS Queen Elizabeth Twitter account wrote.

In June, the £3 billion HMS Queen Elizabeth carried out its first combat missions, within the framework of the Global Coalition Fighting Daesh in the Middle East.

British Ambassador to Cairo Geoffrey Adams hailed the crossing of the HMS Queen Elizabeth as a “historic moment” and “underscores our global commitment to peace, free trade, maritime security, and the bonds between our nations.”

Entering service in 2017, the 65,000-tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently leading the CSG21 deployment as its first.

The CSG21 is a joint deployment between the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and is the largest concentration of both air and maritime force to leave the UK in a generation.

Today, @HMSQNLZ – the @RoyalNavy’s newest and most powerful warship – passed through the Suez Canal, leading the UK’s Carrier Strike Group #CSG21 into the Red Sea to continue its global mission, securing maritime navigation and free trade pic.twitter.com/9MRIvaiTWD

— UK in Egypt (@UKinEgypt) July 6, 2021